


A Perfect Match

by NotSoHotsuin



Series: You Lead, I Follow [3]
Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: Acrobatics, Alternate Universe - Dance, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Major Character Injury, No blood or gore just small details of injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 18:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12563284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSoHotsuin/pseuds/NotSoHotsuin
Summary: It was strange to know that dance was the cause of their misery, but also the solution to their problems.Despite their paths, their hardships lead them straight to each other.





	A Perfect Match

They practiced for as long as they could manage, carried each other through new practices again and again until they were both out of breath. The job of a substitute was a lot more rewarding when he got to stay behind and practice to his heart’s content with a person that both matched his agility and strength in dance. It did not take long for him to let Hibiki take the lead, or for him to give Hibiki permission to grab onto him just about anywhere if it meant the dance would come out looking a lot more smooth in transition from act to act.  
  
Although, at times, he wondered if they were truly equals as they danced in front of that giant mirror. All he could see stare back at him was a try-hard with mediocre skill at best. His usual determination proved lacking, and his physique was not holding up well when they increased their workout session to three hours instead of two. By comparison, Hibiki was the more experienced one, and he had the stamina to back it up.  
  
Hibiki caught Daichi in his arms to twirl him, but he was unresponsive. He breathed unevenly and hot against Hibiki’s skin; eyes closed from exhaustion. This was starting to become too much for him, but it was nothing he did not expect. He leaned his forehead against Hibiki’s collarbones, and felt like his entire body was ready to combust from the exercise. Hibiki caught on to his fatigue, and brought a hand up to rub his back softly.  
  
“You okay there…?”  
“Y-yeah, ah, just,” Daichi rested his arms over Hibiki’s shoulders, and leaned against him for support. “-not, not used to this much dancing. Again, substitute. We don’t do much dancing.” Hibiki’s arms wrapped around him softly.  
“We can stop for today.”  
“No, I’m fine, let me just-” He huffed and pushed himself off Hibiki to prove his point. “-let me just catch my breath.” Hibiki let his hand rest at Daichi’s cheek before gently sliding it down his neck. Daichi felt his face flush again. It was hard to say when Hibiki’s hands started to feel good against his skin. It was almost natural at this point.  
“This… is a little too close, isn’t it?” Hibiki hummed, and leaned even closer, as if to say it was not close enough.  
“Nonsense. I’m a professional.” Daichi rolled his eyes, but played along for the sake of a good performance. It was not unusual for performers to engage in sensual touching to increase the tension in their dance. However, he never thought Hibiki was willing to do so with no real motivation. It was not as if they had a live performance to do and needed to make it look convincing for an audience of critics. Somehow, even if that were the circumstances, it did not look as if they needed to practice how to make it look convincing. Not with the way Hibiki smiled at him and let his hands slide over his body. It almost seemed deliberate, but Daichi had learned better than to expect anything other than good acting. There was no way this was anything but a partnership for mutual benefit. No one else in this building knew acro dance. It only made sense for them to team up.  
  
Hibiki pushed his hand against Daichi’s chest, and Daichi took a step back before grabbing onto his arm and pulling him back in. Hibiki saw the opportunity to wrap his arm around Daichi’s middle, and dip him before pulling him up to his chest again. Daichi figured this was the part where Hibiki was to lift him by his waist so he could strike a pose, but his friend had something else in mind.  
  
“I’ll boost you up, here, hold onto my shoulders,” Daichi furrowed his brows slightly, unsure of what it was Hibiki wanted him to do. However, feeling safe in Hibiki’s company, he put his foot against his intertwined fingers, and his hands on his shoulders as asked of him before he posed his own question.  
“Why?”  
“I’m going to test your balance. Let’s see if you can pull off a handstand on me.” He tensed up.  
“N-no, no, no, don’t toss me, don’t to-!” Daichi tried to keep his composure as Hibiki gave him momentum so he could do a handstand on his shoulders. He grabbed onto Hibiki firmly not to fall, and would have tried to cartwheel out had Hibiki’s arms not grabbed onto his to keep him there for support. It also looked as if he was too far off the ground to successfully get down by himself. The thought was sweet, and keeping a grip on his arms was the right thing to do to ensure his safety, but this was far too much than he was prepared for. He felt his palms grow sweaty, and his heart hammer painfully in his chest.

He wanted to smack Hibiki’s over the head. However, hitting the person that was holding his life in his hands did not exactly seem like the best idea right now. If he found the energy to scream, he would yell for Hibiki to put him down, and if he had the courage to open his eyes, he hoped to see regret on Hibiki’s features. The handstand was executed on his shoulders as promised, but Daichi was reluctant to break the pose. He put his legs together so Hibiki could wrap his arm around them at his descent, and so he could comfortably slip into the safety of his partner’s arms. Daichi felt like kicking him, had his feet not been busy trying to plant themselves on the ground. Once he managed to get down, his knees caved, and he found himself sitting down instead of standing up. He slipped right out of Hibiki’s embrace with his hands clutching his chest, trying to calm his racing heart.

“Not a fan of heights?” Daichi groaned, and fell with his back against the cushioned floor to stare up at Hibiki. Thankfully, Hibiki looked remorseful, and it did not seem like he was willing to risk doing something similar again. That was ten layers peeled off his lifespan in the short amount of mere seconds.  
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have acted like it was no big deal.” Given their situation, it would not have been a big deal. Given how Daichi had performed far riskier tricks, this should have been a cakewalk. However, the pressure doubled when he was relying on someone else.  
“Nah, it was… fun.” Hibiki cocked his head slightly to better read the soft smile on Daichi’s lips. “I just get scared easily nowadays.”  
“Nowadays?” Hibiki put his palm on the floor so he could cross his legs and sit down next to Daichi. “So there was a time when you could do this without being scared?” Daichi wondered why Hibiki was interested, but one look at him told him that it was probably safer to tell the truth so no further misunderstandings took place.  
“Yeah… back then, I used to perform on stage, too. It was mostly charity events, nothing huge or anything. I actually trained here with my partner.”  
“Partner?” Daichi felt as if he slipped up, so he quickly tried to correct himself.  
“W-work partner. A former female colleague,” He emphasised the word ‘former’ to make sure there were no misunderstandings. “We were paired together in shows because we looked good together. We were awesome as a team, too...” Daichi quieted down, hoping that the inevitable would not be asked, and that this would suffice for an answer, but the silence was swallowed whole by one innocent question.  
  
“So, what happened? Why are you not live with her on stage now?” Daichi wondered what Hibiki could be thinking. He wondered if Hibiki thought he was a bad performer that was fired, or if he thought he had a falling-out of sorts with his ex partner. Daichi swallowed thickly, and leaned his head back against the floor.

  
“We were performing live with props on stage when,” He winced at the memory. With so many eyes staring, so many blinding, colorful lights, and so much heat in the air, it was only a question about time before the music drowned out and everything faded to black in an instant, leaving him to be welcomed back by the dull exterior of a white room and a heart-rate monitor. “-smack, right into the corner of a sharp metal bar. I don’t remember anything except falling after being thrown into the air…” He hunched over as he grabbed the railing to pull himself up on his feet. He could still feel the scar at the back of his head. A fall from that height could very well have killed him.  
  
“I was out cold for months, and in recovery for… I forget the time really, but t-they said one more hit to the head might-” It was surprising he made it out alive in the first place, given how heavy an impact it was. “...n-nevermind. I ruined the mood, huh?” Hibiki grabbed the bottom of his tights to tug at the fabric near his ankle, urging Daichi to take a seat next to him instead of walk out. It was definitely a topic he should have raised before engaging in some risky moves, because Hibiki looked horrified. They did multiple routines where a fall could have caused injury. In Daichi’s condition, injury seemed a hopeful estimate. The probability was unlikely, but knowing that the possibility was there gave Hibiki chills. It was easy to mess up when they were still only warming up as dance partners. Daichi got down on his knees, and sat next to Hibiki as asked.  
  
“You could have told me…” The conversation was not supposed to take such a dark turn. The last thing Daichi wanted was for Hibiki to feel guilty for pushing more dynamic tricks. It was not his idea in the first place, anyways.  
“Would you still have asked me to dance if I told you?” Hibiki finally turned to look at him, brows lowered and eyes tired. It was clear that his answer was ‘no’, but his lips were sealed.  
  
“I’ve wanted to do couple’s acrobatics for a while, but I’ve been too scared to get back into it. As stupid as it sounds, I don’t think it matters whether I do acrobatics or not…” His condition was far too fragile for it to matter. “-I’d rather die through acrobatics than by slipping in the kitchen and hitting my head on the counter, like an idiot.” He was not sure how hard the impact had to be for it to crack his skull open again, but he presumed if anything similar happened that it was game over for good this time.

  
“The recovery process was difficult. I couldn’t really move like I used to. Dance and music helped me gain back some of that motion I was missing, and that’s how I came to work as a substitute.” His gaze was fixed on the floor, avoiding Hibiki at all cost for his own well-being. As much as he knew he deserved it, he did not want Hibiki to judge him for keeping quiet about it. He was forced to break his sight on the floor when Hibiki’s hand came up to cup his cheek, angling his head up to lock eyes with him. There was a soft smile on Hibiki’s face; an expression Daichi did not understand. Being lied to should have made him upset, but he looked peaceful.  
  
“What are you doing?” Hibiki’s smile widened, and he leaned his head to the side slightly. Daichi noted that his cheeks were still flushed from practice. Either it was practice, or Hibiki was coming down with a cold.  
“You taught yourself the fundamentals again just so you could keep doing acro dance. I think that’s really admirable. Not a lot of people have that kind of passion.” Daichi wished he could say hearing those words made him happy, but that was not why he pursued acrobatics at all.  
“...You’re giving me too much credit. I don’t think I can call it passion. It’s just the only thing I’m good at.” His heart sank in his chest. He really had nothing else, and it made him wonder if he should have focused his recovery time on something different entirely. “If I didn’t have that, then… I dunno. I’d be pretty useless.” He did love the feeling and freedom that came with acrobatics. He loved the adrenaline and the rush accompanied by dancing, and the heat burning through his body after a good workout, but it was not a lifestyle that should be encouraged with his injury.  
  
“Is it…” Hibiki moved his hand to the back of Daichi’s neck, and Daichi hesitated before letting his hand rest over Hibiki’s to guide it over his skull.  
“It’s actually…” He let Hibiki’s fingers press against the area lightly. “-right there.” Not that it mattered. The injury was treated, and it was nothing but a long scar now. He felt Hibiki’s fingertips slide over the area gently, following the outline as far as it reached to the very bottom. The touch was surprisingly soothing, and Daichi found his eyes close by instinct to better focus on the motion.

As much as he enjoyed acting as a choreographer, he knew that he did not want to compromise anyone else’s safety like he had compromised his own thanks to his experience. While reflecting over his poor choice to insist they push more dynamic and outlandish routines to stretch their capabilities, he came to realize that he was unfit as a teacher. A teacher would have everyone’s best interest in mind, not lose focus and push their own agenda.

“Your partner,” Daichi hummed when Hibiki slid his hand back to cup his cheek. Slender fingers never left skin as he curved his palm and let Daichi lean against him for support. “-what happened to her?”

“Dunno. I never saw her again.”

“Didn’t she help you in your recovery?”

“Why would she? We weren’t friends.” He opened his eyes when he caught himself spacing out. Friendship. That was what he thought he had built with everyone at his previous studio, but everyone turned out to have abandoned him. Perhaps they did visit at first, but simply chose not to return when the results did not look promising. He fixed his eyes on Hibiki’s hand, and followed it up to his shoulder, and eventually, his eyes. This was supposed to be a practice for mutual benefit. They no longer needed to touch each other as if they were a couple on stage, professing their emotions through dance.  
  
So, why did Hibiki insist on touching him?  
  
For comfort?  
  
“...We could still dance.” Hearing Hibiki propose the idea made his chest feel lighter, but it did not feel right to take him up on his offer. Yet, he was still reaching out to grasp more than he could hold. As bad of an idea as it sounded to practice with an injury, he would rather practice and risk it than live a life of torture without dance.

“My doctors told me I wouldn’t be able to dance again, and here I am, dancing with you.” Daichi blinked, surprised by the change of topic.

“...Your what?”

“I was run over by a car a couple of years back. Both my legs were trashed. I had to go through surgery several times for them to fix me up. They said I might learn how to walk eventually, but that I definitely would not be sprinting or dancing anymore. Acrobatics was out of the question.” The very first pose they had done together involved Daichi putting his full weight on Hibiki’s legs, and he felt a pang of guilt for not turning the idea down.

“I could have stayed in a wheelchair, but like you told me,” Hibiki smiled, but it was clear that he was bitter about it. “-I’m not good at much else, either.” Daichi wanted to say something. Anything. Instead, he placed his palm over Hibiki’s to give him a small squeeze, and to keep his warm hand over his cheek.

“...You’re pretty good at sneaking up on people.” Hibiki chuckled, and pulled his other hand up to cup both of Daichi’s cheeks. Daichi followed Hibiki’s touch, and put his other hand over his once it cupped his face.

“...Is this a good time to give you my phone number and email?” Daichi’s touch softened, and he almost let go of Hibiki’s hands.  
  
“Huh?”

“Do you want to hang out outside of work? I want you to talk to me more like you do now.” Daichi did not have to think about it much to agree. He hardly had a friend he could go out with, so spending more time with Hibiki did not sound like that bad of an idea. Hibiki went even further to sweeten the deal, in case he was expecting to be turned down.

  
“My friend gave me the keys to his gym. So, I can use it whenever I want for acrobatics when it closes. There’s a bunch of things we can try there that we can’t here.”

It sounded perfect.


End file.
